Explore every episode of the podcast Moore than talk...

Every new community organisation needs a website. Easy, eh?

This week I talk to Clare Bryden, who owns and runs Websites Ahoy!  It’s an ethical website development business aimed at helping small community groups and organisations – quite frankly she takes the hassle out of getting online.

Clare talks us through the importance of having a website – not only to present your work but also to control your messaging. We explore how to create clear content, and look at the practicalities of accessibility and privacy policies. We also talk about the environmental impact of hosting and how ethics shape Websites Ahoy!

If you’re looking to set up a website take a look at Clare’s free guide to writing a brief for a website.

Find out more about Website Ahoy! And the help Clare can offer here: Websites Ahoy! - Hassle-free website design & development

This week I speak to Dave Boyle from the Community Shares Company and we discuss the legal structure, the ‘Community Benefit Society’.

A Community Benefit Society is form of co-operative business designed to enable community ownership, and is successfully used across the country to take on community ownership of assets and raise investment through community shares.

We talk about the features of this legal model, the practicalities of setting one up and where to go for help. For anyone thinking about launching a community business Dave’s insights are a great starting point to think about!

Find out about the Community Shares Company and book a free consultation to discuss your project with Dave here: The Community Shares Company  Dave has more than 20 years' experience of working with community and social businesses, helping raise over £17m from over 65 community shares issues in the last 8 years. 

Links to other organisations mentioned in the show:

Have a look and book your dip at Jubilee Pool in Penzance here https://jubileepool.co.uk/

The Plunkett Foundation supports community businesses, especially pubs, in rural areas: Plunkett UK

The Community Land Trust Network support communities taking on land for affordable housing and other assets: Community Land Trust Network | Homepage

Cooperatives UK have a rules registration service: https://www.uk.coop/start-new-co-op/start/choosing-your-governing-document

Let me know what you think of this episode podcast@moorehelp.biz

In 2010, Devon County Council agreed to hand over the freehold of the crumbling Exeter Community Centre — worth half a million and facing a similar repair bill — to a new community trust. For free. The Council added a £200,000 to kick-start for urgent works, but from April 1st the building’s future, risks and rewards all shifted to the charity. Backed by £1.2m in external funding, the new Exeter Community Centre Trust pledged to turn the Victorian school into a thriving hub of offices, meeting rooms and health services — a bold gamble in grassroots ownership.

How did the community get the Council to make this decision. Hannah Reynolds, a local resident at the time and one of the Trust’s founding members, tells us about the hoops the community went through to secure this decaying former Victorian school to turn it into a sustainable centre for community life in Exeter.

Look at it today! For introductory advice see Locality’s guide to Community Asset Transfer

I love my work with community and social enterprises! 

So I’ve started a podcast looking behind the scenes at how to get good things done with your community…

This episode is about why, who I’m going to be talking to and how it might help you!